This invention relates to transport in fluids. Thermal transport by convection was first visualized in 1900 by Henri Bénard in an experiment wherein a thin layer of liquid with a free top surface was heated from below. This experiment produced a hexagonal pattern of flow cells that Bénard attributed to the buoyancy of the fluid near the hot surface. In 1916 Rayleigh obtained a theoretical understanding of the experimental conditions that give rise to “Rayleigh-Bénard” convection—at least for the case where the liquid surfaces are bounded by contacting plates—and predicted convective rolls, circles, and linear and square patterns. Experimental and theoretical work in the ensuing century elucidated many such complex and beautiful convection patterns, such as convection lattices. In 1970, it was discovered that applying a magnetic field gradient along the thermal gradient could enhance natural convection in magnetic fluids6. The enhancement is dependent upon the thermal gradient and does not lead to new flow patterns.